Don't eat mine

Passengers are rushing around at C City International Airport.

Wen Lingyi stood in the crowd, with her father Wen Shuli, Su Qing and her nominal parents-in-law beside her. They were all well-dressed and calm, standing out a bit in the bustling environment.

She looked towards the exit, maintaining just the right expression of anticipation on her face.

When Su Zhe appeared pushing a luggage cart, the air around him seemed to be instantly focused, and all eyes were focused on him.

Su Zhe obviously saw them at the first moment, especially Wen Lingyi who was standing in a conspicuous position. An expression of mixed fatigue and joy immediately appeared on his face, as if he was really a husband who had returned home from a long journey and missed his wife.

He put down the cart in his hand, leaving the suitcase alone there, walked straight towards Wen Lingyi, then opened his arms and gave her a firm and appropriate hug.

The faint scent of cologne on Su Zhe's coat made Wen Lingyi frown.

"Hubby, you're finally back." Wen Lingyi's voice was neither too loud nor too low, just loud enough for the elders around to hear, with a hint of coquettishness at the end.

She raised her hand and straightened his shirt collar and tie, which were already meticulously done. Her movements were skillful and natural, as if she had done them a thousand times.

Then, she gently leaned her head against his chest, her hair brushing against his chin: "I missed you."

This intimate gesture really made Su's parents look at each other, and they covered their mouths and laughed softly, their eyes full of relief.

Wen Shuli stood a little behind, also with a faint smile on his face, his eyes fixed on his daughter.

"Honey, let's get intimate when we get home," Su Zhe lowered his head, his lips close to her ear, his voice loud, his arms naturally wrapped around her waist, his palms resting against her sides in a protective gesture, "My parents are watching, I'm embarrassed."

Wen Lingyi cooperated and blushed slightly, as if she was really embarrassed by what he said. She clenched her fists and hit his chest lightly without much strength, looking like a delicate wife immersed in sweetness.

After exchanging a few polite words about the hardships of the journey, the group did not stay for long, considering that Su Zhe needed to adjust to the jet lag after the long flight.

Wen Lingyi and Su Zhe drove directly back to Lanyue Bay.

Previously, Wen Lingyi made up a reason for Zhou Jianxing, saying that her aunt who had returned from abroad was coming to stay at the villa for a while, and their relationship was not convenient to be exposed, so Zhou Jianxing needed to go home temporarily and stay for about a week.

Therefore, when I pushed open the heavy door, the house was unexpectedly empty and quiet.

The atmosphere of another person's life that once permeated the air was deliberately restrained, leaving only an empty and tidy atmosphere.

Su Zhe was unaware of this and went straight to the guest room to catch up on his sleep.

Wen Lingyi went to the study to continue working on the exhibition project called "Breaking the Boundary".

The lighting installation requirements are complex, so the exhibition is scheduled for night time, and she is still repeatedly considering the design of the opening event.

Somehow, Wen Lingyi suddenly remembered that Zhou Jianxing had told her that he wanted to play the song "Autumn Leaves" with her on the erhu.

Western jazz classics are performed with ancient Eastern string instruments, with the elegance of the piano and the desolation of the erhu intertwined and colliding... Can this also be considered a kind of "breaking boundaries"?

Nice inspiration.

A family dinner was scheduled in the evening to celebrate Su Zhe's return. Seeing that it was almost time, Wen Lingyi got up and went back to the master bedroom to dress and change clothes. She also went to the guest room to wake up Su Zhe who was sleeping soundly.

The lights in the cloakroom were bright, and Wen Lingyi was standing in front of the mirror choosing accessories.

Su Zhe leaned against the door frame, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and glanced at her critically: "This brooch doesn't seem to match your clothes today. It's too eye-catching."

"And I think you look better in dark green. It shows your temperament."

"Shouldn't you change the color of your lipstick? This red is more orangey, not bright enough to hold the scene. A darker red would suit you better."

Wen Lingyi didn't look back, picked up the heavy diamond necklace and put it around her neck.

She took out the hair oil again and carefully smoothed and combed the unruly hair on her temples. The person in the mirror instantly became more refined and more distant.

"Come on, don't show off your limited aesthetic taste in front of me." Her tone was flat and no emotion could be heard.

Before leaving, she suddenly remembered the wedding ring she hadn't worn in a long time and had thrown away somewhere. She squatted down and began to search the drawers of the bedside table and dresser. "Don't just stand there and talk nonsense. Help me find the ring. Dad asked about it today, and I said I sent it for maintenance."

Su Zhe looked at her actions, speechless: "Can't you just keep something worth a few million properly?" He sighed and leaned over to help look for it.

Finally, he felt the cold ring in the narrow gap between the bedside table and the bed.

When they arrived at the private room of the Jiefang Hotel, it was almost eight o'clock. The huge round table was filled with exquisite dishes, and it was obvious that they had been waiting for them for a while.

Wen Shuli, Su's father and mother were chatting in low voices, while Su Qing sat quietly aside looking at her phone.

"Young couple, a long separation is better than a new marriage. Please understand." Wu Jingshu smiled and affectionately took Wen Lingyi's hand, asked her to sit down in the seat next to her, and patted the back of her hand gently.

Wen Lingyi lowered her eyelashes and showed a shy expression, with a faint blush on her cheeks, as if she was overwhelmed with shame.

Su Qing raised her eyes from the phone screen, glanced at her, and the corners of her mouth quickly raised up a subtle arc. There was no smile in that arc, only the sarcasm of cold observation.

Ever since their last unpleasant parting, she had become even more disappointed with Wen Lingyi. Now, watching her so effortlessly playing the role of a happy wife, she found it particularly glaring.

But she will prove to Wen Lingyi that she is the right one.

The topics at the dinner table kept going around and around, asking about the details of Su Zhe's life and work abroad. After the novelty wore off, they naturally returned to the topic of childbirth, which was the eternal finale of every family gathering.

"Dad, Mom, please stop talking. Lingyi will feel embarrassed if you continue." Su Zhe smiled like a perfect husband and skillfully put a piece of steamed fish into Wen Lingyi's bowl with chopsticks, speaking in a considerate tone.

"Yes, Lingyi, come to think of it, you're not young anymore." Wen Shuli took a sip of white wine and turned his gaze to his daughter. "Now that Xiaozhe is back, hurry up and have a child soon. I've wanted to be a grandfather for a long time."

His eyes were always on Wen Lingyi's face, as if to confirm her attitude.

These words completely destroyed Wen Lingyi's already poor appetite.

The dishes in the bowl looked exquisite, but they did not arouse her appetite at all.

She suddenly missed the dishes Zhou Jianxing cooked very much, even the light porridge she made when she was sick.

The little fool even drew a big cake for her and asked her to list a long list of things she wanted to eat, and vowed that he would make them all for her when she got better.

I don’t know what that little fool is doing now.

Wen Lingyi subconsciously took out her cell phone, the screen lit up, showing a series of unread message reminders, all from Zhou Jianxing.

When I clicked on it, I saw photos of her daily life: the flowers and plants on the balcony seemed to be growing better, her hands were covered with black oil and shiny metal shavings from work, a pair of old overalls with worn knees, and her simple and even somewhat crude dinner.

A bowl of noodles filled with toppings.

These trivial images, with the roughness and freshness of another kind of life, crash into this exquisite yet dull box.

Wen Lingyi raised her phone, took a picture of the dazzling array of food in front of her, and sent it over, followed by a sentence:

"Nothing is as delicious as your cooking."

The message was replied almost instantly:

"What do you want to eat? I'll make it and bring it to you tomorrow."

Looking at this line of words, Wen Lingyi couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth into a real arc.

Although the smile was short-lived, it was accurately captured by Su Qing, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines.

Her eyes darkened and she looked away calmly.

·

In the middle of the night, Wen Lingyi was awakened by the dryness in her throat. She reached out to touch the water cup on the bedside table in a daze, only to find that the cup was empty after she picked it up. She stood up and walked towards the kettle, but the kettle was also empty.

She was stunned for a few seconds before she vaguely realized that her dependence on Zhou Jianxing had penetrated into such details.

The little fool remembered that she loved drinking water, so the thermos in the bedroom was always full of water, and the temperature was just right for drinking.

Zhou Jianxing had only been away for one day, and she didn't even notice that she had finished the water.

Wen Lingyi had no choice but to get up and go downstairs to the kitchen to get some water. Unexpectedly, the light in the kitchen was on and Su Zhe was also inside.

He stood in front of the stove, hot water boiling in the pot, cooking white and plump dumplings.

"I didn't have much of an appetite after waking up in the afternoon," Su Zhe explained, using a slotted spoon to scoop the floating dumplings into a plate, still steaming hot. "I was so hungry in the middle of the night that I rummaged through the refrigerator and found these dumplings. I'm pretty lucky."

"Don't eat my dumplings." Wen Lingyi walked over without thinking and took the plate of dumplings from him almost forcefully. She moved so fast that Su Zhe almost lost his grip on the colander. "If you're hungry, order takeout."

"What's wrong with eating a few of your dumplings?" Su Zhe was a little amused and helpless when he saw the fragrant midnight snack he had worked so hard to cook had changed hands. The tempting aroma of the dumplings was still lingering in his nose. "It's not worth much, why are you so stingy? Miss Wen, after all, we are partners, right? Is it really that serious?"

Wen Lingyi ignored his protests, picked up a pair of chopsticks, carried the plate of hot dumplings to the dining table and sat down: "Thank you, my dear husband, for working so hard to cook dumplings for me in the middle of the night."

She recited this corny sentence in a flat tone, then blew air on herself and started eating.

She couldn't eat anything in the atmosphere of the restaurant at night, and she was really hungry now.

Su Zhe was so disgusted by the words "Kiss my husband" that he almost lost his appetite. He rubbed his arms and got goosebumps.

He took an empty plate and chopsticks, followed and sat opposite Wen Lingyi. While she lowered her head to blow, he quickly picked up two plump dumplings with his chopsticks and stuffed them into his mouth.

"Don't you always avoid late-night snacks to stay in shape?" He asked vaguely, hissing from the heat and chewing contentedly. "I'm just filling my stomach. You can count the two bites less as losing weight."

Wen Lingyi watched his agile movements and immediately pulled the plate in front of her, protecting it with her hands.

Su Zhe looked at her and gave her a frivolous smile. "It tastes really good," he commented. Life abroad had obviously made him miss Chinese food. "Where did you buy this from? Tell me, so I can buy some to stock up on later."

He naturally thought that these dumplings must have been bought outside, and Wen Lingyi would never have the skills or the leisure to make them herself.

Wen Lingyi didn't respond, but just lowered her head and ate dumplings silently.

After she came back, she took off the heavy wedding ring. At this moment, she was wearing the delicate ring given by Zhou Jianxing on her ring finger. Under the warm light of the restaurant, it was shining with a soft yet firm silver-white luster.

Su Zhe also noticed the unfamiliar ring and raised his eyebrows in interest, staring at her finger. "Newly bought? The design is quite unique, but... a little too petty. The center stone is so small, it doesn't suit your status as Miss Wen."

Wen Lingyi wiped the corners of her mouth with a tissue, her movements graceful. Then, she suddenly spoke, her voice remarkably clear in the quiet early morning hours: "Tell me, how long will this relationship last?"

Su Zhe was using his mobile phone to reply to a message from his boyfriend abroad. He paused when he heard this and raised his eyelids to look at her.

The usual playful expression on his face fell, and his eyes became more scrutinizing and serious.

"What do you mean?" He put down his phone. "We agreed that at least for now, we have to have the most basic sense of contract. Isn't that right?"

After hearing this, Wen Lingyi was silent for a moment and did not continue speaking.

She finished the last dumpling and pushed the empty plate in front of Su Zhe.

"Go wash the pots and dishes." She stood up, her tone as natural as if she was giving orders to a servant, and then turned and walked towards the bedroom.

"No, big sister," Su Zhe looked at the empty plate in front of him and exaggeratedly pinched his philtrum. "I cooked the dumplings, and they almost went into your stomach. Now I have to wash the dishes?"

Wen Lingyi didn't stop walking. Her voice came from the corridor, righteously saying, "Haven't you heard that a man who eats someone's food should be grateful?"

"I'm warning you again, don't eat my dumplings."